World Bank approves $4m grant to support community-led climate action in Ghana

The World Bank has announced a $4 million grant to support the participation of local communities in climate action in Ghana, promoting social inclusion and gender equality in climate finance.

The grant, managed by the Enhancing Access to Benefits while Lowering Emissions Trust Fund, aims to boost social inclusion by sharing the benefits of Ghana’s flagship emission reduction initiative, the Ghana Cocoa Forest Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Programme.

The programme will directly engage 20,000 farmers from 100 communities, including women, youth, migrant farmers, and persons with disabilities, enhancing social inclusion in climate action and providing equitable access to emissions reduction benefits.

World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Robert Taliercio, hailed the grant signing as a major milestone in amplifying the voices of Ghana’s most vulnerable groups, particularly women, in the climate change discourse.

“By partnering with organizations like Solidaridad West Africa that have deep roots in local communities, we can ensure equitable access to emissions reduction benefits in cocoa landscapes,” he stated.

Chief Executive of Ghana’s Forestry Commission, Mr John Allotey, commented, saying “within the Carbon Fund Portfolio and beyond, Ghana has become a reference point for the successful implementation of jurisdictional REDD+. We therefore count on the expertise of Solidaridad West Africa and Tropenbos Ghana to implement the EnABLE project to enhance actions to reverse and halt deforestation and forest degradation for people, Forests and Climate benefits at the national and global level,” “We are also grateful to the donors of the EnABLE fund and the World Bank for making this possible,” he added.

Regional Director for Solidaridad West Africa, Isaac Kwadwo Gyamfi, said “the future of Ghana’s forests is at the crossroads, and the EnABLE project is coming at a critical time when the country is entrenching its access to the carbon market. Solidaridad is proud to be associated with the project to secure the inclusion of farmers and other local community groups in decision-making and the protection of forests so they can share in the associated carbon benefits that accrue from their efforts,”

“It is our expectation that the project will ensure that no one is left behind and ultimately stimulate the scale up of inclusivity in other programs and platforms in the landscape.”

“Our approach highlights inclusiveness, gender equality, and social equity to ensure that, all stakeholders can participate meaningfully and benefit equitably from initiatives aimed at mitigating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability,” said Mercy Owusu Ansah, Country Director Tropenbos Ghana. “As local communities, private sector, the government, and other stakeholders work together to reduce emissions by implementing low-carbon ideas and technology in a sustainable manner, they must receive fair and socially inclusive payments as incentives for this action.”

The project will build capacity, increasing the knowledge and skills of target groups, enabling them to engage in emissions reduction programmes. The initiative marks a significant step forward in Ghana’s efforts to address climate change and promote inclusive and equitable sustainable development.